Geddes takes lead at LPGA's first day

Geddes made her third career hole-in-one, a 6-iron from 158 yards, and birdied her final two holes for a 5-under-par 66 on Thursday and a two-stroke lead over some of the biggest names in women's golf.

Karrie Webb wasn't among them.

The 25-year-old Australian, trying to win the second leg of the Grand Slam and her third consecutive major championship, struggled on the thick, wet rough and smooth, fast greens at DuPont Country Club for a 1-over 72.

''I came here with a goal to have fun,'' said Geddes, who won the LPGA Championship in 1987 but hasn't won anything since 1994. ''I had a ball today.''

She also had very few expectations.

The dirt on Geddes' clubs was not from extra practice, but her last tournament three weeks ago. Her mind was 3,000 miles away at home in San Diego on a startup Internet company she recently founded, an escape from 18 years of professional golf.

''I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself,'' she said. ''I've been busy trying to figure out how to make a transition from this life to that one. This may be my last day to lead a major, and I'm out there thinking, 'Enjoy this day.'

''I have no expectations right now. That might be the best way to go play.''

Among those chasing Geddes were Pat Bradley and Betsy King, two members of the Hall of Fame, along with Tracy Hanson and Gloria Park.

Like Geddes, Bradley has not exactly been dialed in to golf. The only reason she studies a leaderboard these days is to scout potential players for the Solheim Cup team she will captain in October.

It was a mild shock to see her name up there.

''I've kept one eye on my game and one eye on some of my players,'' she said.

It's best not to lose track of DuPont Country Club, which is much more difficult than recent years because of the thicker rough and greens that measured just under 11 on the Stimpmeter, the quickest they will see all year except for the U.S. Open.

Starting on the back nine, Geddes got off to a bad start -- partly because she was 1 over, and partly because she was as tense as ever. Her caddie reminder her of the pledge to have fun, and that seemed to set her loose.

After a birdie got her back to even, Geddes' 6-iron on the 17th took two hops and rolled in for an ace. She closed out her round by hitting a sand wedge from a divot in the 18th fairway to 6 feet for her fifth birdie of the day.

Patty Sheehan helped carry the cause for the 40-and-over crowd with a 2-under 69 and was tied with Wendy Ward, Wendy Doolan and A.J. Eathorne of Canada.

Another stroke back were Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies, a two-time winner of the LPGA Championship, which is sponsored by McDonald's.

DuPont is one of the few courses on tour where the Englishwoman has no problem hitting driver and taking advantage of her superior length. Davies made six birdies, but also picked up five bogeys by failing to negotiate the mesh-like rough around the greens.

''I made it look more difficult than it was,'' Davies said.

Three share St. Jude lead

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- David Toms, David Peoples and Joe Ogilvie shot 6-under-par 65s in near-perfect morning conditions Thursday to share the first-round lead in the St. Jude Classic.

Peoples had his lowest round this year, but missed a chance to take sole possession of the lead when he three-putted from 15 feet on his final hole.

''I probably did peek up there and saw I was the only one at 7 under, and there you go,'' said Peoples, calling his bogey on No. 9 a brain cramp after needing only 24 putts through 17 holes.

Toms, who won twice last year, matched Peoples with seven birdies and a bogey. Ogilvie had six birdies.

Only Hoch, May, Roberts and Cochran from the afternoon group cracked the leaderboard, with DiMarco saying the conditions were perfect in the morning.

''It wasn't too hot. No wind. The greens are just right: not too fast, not too slow,'' DiMarco said. ''It's very receptive out there.''

With greens soft to keep them from dying in the heat, players were able to shoot at the pins.

Peoples hit 15 greens in regulation and grabbed his share of the lead with four straight birdies to start his back nine. He started the string by running in a 50-foot uphill putt and wrapped it up with a couple of tap-in putts.

His round could have been even better, but he missed a 7-footer for birdie on No. 10 and a 6-footer on No. 13.

''If I can step my short game up a notch, I think I can get in position to get a little more nervous,'' he said.

Ogilvie benefitted from a change in his putting stance. The man who described himself as putting like Ray Charles worked on his stance last week and now stands with his eyes directly over the ball.

He started his day by running in an 8-footer for birdie on No. 10, his longest birdie putt on a day where he needed only 26 putts.

''It was center cut. It was a while that I've had the ball on line the entire time, hit the ball exactly where I wanted to, and it was big. That was a big confidence booster straight off the bat,'' said Ogilvie, who has missed the cut in four of his last eight tournaments.

Toms birdied four of his first seven holes before running into trouble on the par-4 17th. He hit a 4-iron off a cart path and settled for his only bogey.

After tying 16th last week in the U.S. Open where only Tiger Woods broke par, Toms said he benefitted from a quick session with his teacher to work a kink out of his swing.

A total of 54 players broke par Thursday, and Peoples said it wasn't a bad thing.

''I think people got enough of watching us make bogeys last week. I think they like watching guys stick shots in there close. It's fun for the gallery. It's fun for me,'' he said.

Divots: John Restino withdrew after cutting his hand when a club head snapped off on the 18th tee. ... John Daly, who withdrew from the U.S. Open after finishing with a 14 on his final hole of the first round, shot a 70. He used to live near the course. ... Bill Glasson recorded the first double-eagle of his career on the easiest hole on the course, the par-5, 527-yard No. 5. He used a driver to hole a 260-yard shot.